Turn the sea Inside out
by luukagu
Summary: SAILOR/SIREN AU. He pressed his arms up over the boat, wrapped in moonlight-and Rin was captivated, in love with the little light points that swum in the sirens eyes. [Rin/Haru]
1. Beginning

**Luuka: **mermaids are a popular Free! AU-I kinda want to get in on it, too, but mermaids are too soft for me so I had to do sirens.

This is a fantasy/adventure/romance/mystery/supernatural, T rating for graphic kissing, non-graphic sexual content, swears, unimportant deaths and T violence.

Here we go!

* * *

Sunlight glimmered on the surface of the ocean as Rin Matsuoka looked up, squinting at the sun. Seagulls circled him overhead and the air felt crisp-tasting slightly of salt... waves gentle as they rolled over one another, into the endless blue.

'Not bad.'

An aged sailor stood underneath Rin, watching him as he adjusted the sails.

'I'm used to fixing boats,' Rin replied. 'So I know what I'm doing- I used to do this all the time at Iwatobi.'

'Yeah, but this is your first trip, ain't it?' The old man snorted. 'You best be in for a shock. Life out here on the sea be nothing like it is on the harbour, pretty boy.'

Rin opened his mouth to retort when captain Mikoshiba stepped up beside the older man and laughed.

'Don't mind him, Matsuoka, you're doing pretty well for a new recruit! So you can do sailor knots, eh?'

'My dad taught me a thing or two when I was a kid,' Rin shrugged, sliding down from the mast-landing on the deck of the ship with a thump. His dad was gone now, of course-lost at sea, during a crash where his ship had turned into splinters after it hit an iceberg. Rin had specialised in ship repairs since about the age of nine and after a position had appeared on a local fishing ship, he'd ended up applying... which was what had gotten him to where he was now. A particularly high wave rose over the ship, splashing them all with salt spray.

'I'm disappointed, though,' Rin admitted. 'Captain, I was told there would be dolphins in this area-'

'The smart ones'll have migrated,' Mikoshiba said, crossing his arms over his chest. 'The cove near here is cultivated by sirens and they'll eat dolphins-tear 'em apart whole. They're vicious creatures... they eat men, as well.'

'Seriously? Are we-'

'We're alright-sirens only attack in their grounds. They all have their own colonies with a certain amount of charted water: we go around it, so they shouldn't come close to us.'

_Shouldn't..._ Rin mentally rolled his eyes. _Well, I'm reassured._

'And what happens if they do attack? What are we supposed to do then?'

'Then we die.' Mikoshiba said simply. 'Nary a boat that makes it out of the sea with most of its crew alive when sirens attack. That's why we're not stupid enough to go into their water: Matsuoka, we go around them instead. It takes a lot longer, sure, but at least that way we come back with all our crew.'

'Captain!' A young, grey haired man bounced up to them both, giving Mikoshiba a salute. 'We've got a telegram from Iwatobi saying that fishing prices have just risen by seventeen per cent, 'cause they'll be storms for a few weeks and... ahh... are you the new crew member?'

The last part was addressed to Rin; Rin thought his crew uniform kind of made the answer obvious, but recognised this as an attempt to be friendly and nodded.

'I'm Rin. This is my first trip.'

'Oh, my names Aiichiro! You're in with me... I'll show you our quarters!'

Rin followed Aiichiro down some steps to the bottom of the ship into a small, cramped room.

'This is where you'll sleep,' Aiichiro explained. 'It's pretty grimy.'

Clearly, Rin thought, but he'd come to a fishing boat: it wasn't like he'd expected room service. There was a bunk with four beds stacked on top of each other and a barrel containing several changes of uniform-this was all the furniture that the 'room' contained.

'I think it's nice,' Aiichiro smiled. 'We get a ceiling and everything.'

'Do your rooms not usually have ceilings?'

'Rin, we're lucky that we even get a room now,' Aiichiro said, solemnly to him. 'T-the captain before Mikoshiba made us sleep on the deck-he only put beds in the supply rooms because one of the crew members got stuck by lightening.'

_Uhh... I want to go home._

Rin climbed into the bottom bunk and lay down on it. At first, he thought it was cosy... and then realised he'd been experiencing disillusionment, and the word he was actually looking for was 'suffocating.' The bunk contained four beds, so Aiichiro's bed was inches from his face and the blankets were damp-the same temperature as the room. The mattress was lumpy and uncomfortable, barley thicker than a slice of bread...

Bread... Rin's stomach growled. That was a thing of the past, now; here, he'd eat rations.

'T-this ship has a crew of nine members and there's another room like this next door. Yamazaki used to sleep in your place,' Aiichiro informed Rin. 'But things got pretty good for him and he went on to get his own ship. And when I say: 'things got pretty good for him,' I mean his Dad died and he got the boat.'

_Oh... nice._

'That's why we needed a new member,' Aiichiro continued. 'R-Rin, is everything okay? You look a little lost in thought...'

'I'm just worried about the sirens,' Rin replied, rolling over. 'Um... Ai... is it just me, or does driving our boat around a nest of malicious sea creatures not seem like the best idea in the world to you?'

Aiichiro's brow creased.

'Well, we go around them instead of through them, and I've never known them to attack outside their grounds. Rin, I do this every day... you don't have to be afraid!'

'I'm _not_ afraid,' Rin said, narrowing his eyes. 'I just don't want to die before I have to. I hear that with sirens it doesn't matter how strong you are because their song is irresistible to anyone...'

'Well, t-that's true-they're temptresses, a-after all, and a strong body is nothing compared to a weak mind. But look on the bright side! Rin, fishing prices have gone up on the market... it will be so good for us when we get back to Iwatobi! If we make it, I hope we catch a lot!'

_'If we make it...' right._

* * *

The approach of a storm was marked by ominous grey clouds, the night's sky above Rin a deep blue that faded into black. The eerie creaking of the fishing ship made Rin wonder if it would fall apart-the lamps all rocked and flickered, the sails Rin had tied up fluttered and flapped.

'They'll be more nights like this,' Aiichiro told Rin, over the rain. 'The sea is always violent, but the worst is yet to come.'

_Fantastic._

'MATSUOKA!' Mikoshiba screamed. 'Get around the back and check the pullies-Nitori, I want you on the sails! The rest of you on the decks and pull in the nets-NOW!'

Darkness was falling rapidly and the lamps on the ship hardly provided any light; Rin was changing the ropes on an axel when he heard a sound carried over the waves. Singing: a lady was singing in the distance, her tone beautifully melancholic. Her voice echoed over the wind, reaching across the water toward him, beckoning Rin to come closer. The song made Rin feel dizzy...

'They're here!' Rin heard a crew member next to him whisper, sounding completely terrified. The singing was growing steadily louder as Rin picked up not one, but several female voices.

'IT'S FINE!' Mikoshiba yelled, over the crashing of the waves. 'They're too far away-it's not loud enough to get to you! Everyone grab some rope and tie yourselves to the ship! They want to make you to jump overboard, but as long as you stay on the deck then they can't... NO-'

The captains cry was too late- the old man who had called Rin a 'pretty boy' screamed and threw himself over the side of the ship. Frantically, Rin tied both of his arms to the anchor, fastening the bow with his teeth, trying to block out the sound of the singing. It was all too much... too much... he felt so scared...

And then, Rin looked up and his eyes accidentally made contact with a siren that had poked it's head out of the water. The second that their stares locked, the rest of the world just melted away: everything else completely ceased to exist.

It was a male-definitely a male, but Rin couldn't think that it was strange... he was too captivated by how gorgeous it was. The siren watched Rin patiently before it came closer, pulling its arms up to rest over the side of the ship a few inches away from Rin, watching.

'I... you...'

Rin's resistance shut down and the rush of the storm subdued: everything went quiet as he stared back into the eyes of the siren, lost in its gaze... completely infatuated.

Moonlight and silhouettes played across its bare chest, each little curve of its muscles slender and sculpted-yes, no matter which way Rin looked at it, it was definitely a male. It had short, dark hair- a little longer behind the ears-that shimmered with drops of water, it's bright, blue eyes framed by short, dark lashes threaded with beads of water. It was just a few seconds that Rin spent staring into its eyes, but it felt like an eternity to Rin-a beautiful eternity... he was completely in love.

'Water,' the siren said to Rin, the sea lapping at its back and pooling around its waist. Rin stared back at it helplessly.

'I-I'll drown-'

The siren shook his head.

'With me.'

The siren stretched out a hand in front of Rin. It was a beautiful, soft palm with long fingers, pale against the ocean... and all Rin had to do was take it. Rin tugged his arms desperately, but it wasn't any use: his wrists were tied to the anchor.

'I-I can't,' Rin told it-completely transfixed. 'The... the ropes...'

'Undo them.'

'How am I supposed to undo them if my hands are tied up?' Rin demanded, throat tightening with the seconds-heat rising in his body.

_Snap out of it, snap out of it... he'll eat you!_

_But he looks so gentle..._

The siren reached in toward Rin and held Rin's palm, its movements gentle and light. Its skin felt smooth, wet and slippery... Rin moaned as one of its thumbs went underneath the rope and begun to unfasten it, the siren pulling its upper body up over the edge of the ship... leaning in close toward Rin's lips, until Rin could feel it's breath on his cheek...

_Closer..._

_Come closer..._

Rin closed his eyes, heart randomly skipping beats, pounding audibly in his ears as he felt soft lips brush against the side of his face... and then, shots were fired and the siren dove back with a splash, disappearing into the inky blackness of the ocean.

'Rin!' Aiichiro rushed up to him. 'It almost had you! Are you okay?'

'I... yeah.' Rin blinked, drenched from the rain, trying to distinguish the other sailors in the darkness. '...What just happened?'

'A siren came up to you... it was trying to drag you under! We-we lost one of the crew members when he threw himself overboard, a-and you were about to go the same way...'

'Harlot bitches!' Mikoshiba snarled, tossing his shotgun across the deck. 'They shouldn't be on this route! Their territory is over by the caves-why are they out of their radius?'

'I-I'm sure there's a good reason,' Aiichiro assured him. Mikoshiba kicked the gun.

'That just lost us one of our crew members... shit. I just had to replace Yamazaki and now I've got to replace this one... why are they coming up to the boats?'

'You mean they don't usually do that?'

Aiichiro set a hand down on Rin's shoulder.

'I've never seen it happen out of their territory,' he told Rin, softly. 'And I've been on this boat for about a year. Captain, maybe the one that came up to Rin was a rogue-'

'She's a bitch is what she is!' Mikoshiba ran his fingers through his hair. 'If she thinks she can come up to the boat and snatch whoever she wants... if she tries it again, then my bullets won't miss her-'

_Her..._

Rin shivered as Aiichiro crouched down, loosening the ropes around his wrists.

'Sirens are all women...' Rin asked. 'Right?'

'Matsuoka, you know that.' Mikoshiba frowned. 'Why?'

'Because, the one that came up to me... captain, I'm sure it was a male.'


	2. Someway, somehow

Midnight fell, and Rin spent his break tossing and turning in his bunk, his sleep cycle as restless as the tides themselves. Rin was trying to use the crashing of the ocean to relax himself into sleep, except it wasn't working: every time Rin closed his eyes he seemed to re-live the experience; the image of the male siren leaning toward him etched into the lids of his eyes.

'Cute!' One of the crew had laughed, when Rin had told them. 'Sirens are supposed to be women, but you think you got a boy-'

A red haired man looped an arm around Rin's neck.

'Give him a break, guys!' He'd laughed. 'The newbies' probably never seen a pair of breasts in his life, so it's not his fault if he can't tell the difference-'

'I'm telling you the truth!' Rin shrugged the arm away, angrily. 'I know what a woman looks like, and it wasn't that siren-why won't any of you listen to me?'

'Nitori,' the captain turned to Aiichiro. 'Have you seen any male sirens in the past?'

'N-none.'

'And did you see the siren that attacked Matsuoka?'

'O-only the tail when it dove back in the water... I-I didn't actually see its upper body or face-'

'Well, there it is.' Mikoshiba spread his hands. 'Matsuoka, sirens are women-it was dark, and your eyes were probably playing tricks on you-those witches can mess around with your mind. Get a good night's rest to recover from the experience: come morning you'll be feeling more relaxed. The real problem we should be focusing on is why one of them was out of it's territory-and what we're going to do if there are more.'

_Am I seeing things? _Rin rolled over in his bunk. _No... I know that siren was a male._ _I don't care what the others say._

_They're not the ones who almost got dragged under by it._

* * *

The night sky was dark- almost velvety-the horizon shrouded in fog and Rin was sitting on a rock, surrounded by the sea. A siren crawled up toward him-hands either side of Rin's legs-firm muscles half dipped in shadows, aqua tail glittering and contrasting the darkness. Rin's pulse pounded in his ears as a slender hand was placed atop his... odd strands of the sirens short, dark hair lifting up in the wind... their lips were inches from each other's...

_Closer..._

_Come closer._

_Touch me._

_TOUCH ME-_

'HEY!' Rin was slapped on the back. 'PAY ATTENTION! The nets ripping!'

'S-sorry. I wasn't concentrating...'

Rin shook his head to snap himself out of his daydream, looking up over the side of the boat to see that his fishing net had filled up with debris. Fishing was boring, and Rin often found his mind wandering without being able to help it. He knew he shouldn't allow himself to think about the male siren, because it had approached Rin thinking Rin was his next meal-Rin knew it would never have given him so much as a kiss. Still, Rin wanted...

'You're doing it again,' the red haired man-Momotarou-said, with a sigh. 'Earth to Rin? Hey, I'm speaking to you, asshole!'

'Alright!' Rin growled. 'Give me a break! I haven't been sleeping that well-'

'Shit, you're such a princess! Rin, you can't afford to lose sleep here- let me give you some advice. You eat whenever you can, you sleep as much as you can and you have sex whenever you can... those are the rules of life on the battlefield!'

_Uh... but we're on a boat._

'I've been trying to sleep!' Rin snarled back. 'It's not my fault if I keep having dreams-'

'Hey, Rin...' Momotarou looked across to him. 'You don't seem like the fisherman type. Plus you're young, and it's a dangerous job... me and Ai don't have anything else in the world which is why we ended up here... so, how come you came out to sea?'

Rin looked away across the water, taking a moment to think about that.

Rin's hometown-Iwatobi-was small and thatched, rain-soaked, famous for its port and Rin had never been able to afford to go to school. He'd only learned to read because he'd been taught in exchange for scrubbing an old man's sailboat, so even though Rin was intelligent, he wasn't 'educated'-apparently, that made all of the difference. Rin didn't want his younger sister, Gou, to be stuck as an underpaid seamstress forever, so he needed the money to send her to school... Rin knew that Gou deserved better and as the only male of the house (now seventeen) he felt responsible for helping her achieve that.

'It's... it's complicated,' he replied. 'Anyway, why do you care?'

'I don't,' Momotarou hummed. 'Just makin' conversation. My brothers' here too, just so you know. He's the captain: this boat and each other is all we both have left in this world. Well, I guess we have the crew, too... we think of all the men we work with as family!'

Honestly, Rin could understand the sentiment-although he'd only been on the fishing ship for a week, Rin had drawn closer to the rest of the crew-really felt as if in that short space of days, they'd been working together for a lifetime. He and Momotarou went through the nets, looking for fish and lobsters amid the seaweed.

'Scallops, scallops, seaweed, scallops...' Momotarou sighed. 'We're_ never_ gonna get any decent pay at this rate. This is such a bad haul.'

They emptied the nets and tossed them back overboard, leaning over the side of the ship as they waited.

'So, um...' Rin tried again with the small talk. 'Do you have a girlfriend back home?'

'Nope-I go out to the houses! Why have one girl when you can have 'em all?'

_Well, that's... one way of looking at it._

'And you-someone you like?'

Strange... why did that siren come to mind?

'No one,' Rin lied, and Momotarou sighed.

'You'd better get a girlfriend,' he advised. 'Cuz' there won't be much action happening all the way out here. Ships don't employ women as bringing females on board is bad luck, so the closest thing we have to women out here is sirens... but I've got to admit- those harpies have some pretty nice racks.'

_How did this guy even last ten seconds against the last siren attack?_

Rin sighed and rested his head in his arms, waiting for Aiichiro to tell him that his shift was over so he could go back to his bunk and lie down, bracing himself for another long and sleepless night-

Bracing himself to toss and turn, dreaming of that mysterious lone siren.


	3. Whisper across the ocean

**Luuka:** thank you for the reviews!

There is sexual content in this like kissing, touching, etc. but I don't describe the sex in this story-I just really heavily imply it.

* * *

Meals on the ship were something Rin still had to get used to. In the past, his sister had always bought fresh vegetables and meat from the market and cooked them in sauces, but there was nothing like that here: everything was either dry or from a can, tasteless and salted... unappealing.

'Rin, could you go get the wine? We're all out.'

'Yeah.'

Rin put down his ball of fat-not really interested in it, anyways-and made his way to the bottom cabin of the ship, crammed with machinery and crates. And something else-the floor was soaked in water...

'Captain!' He rushed back to the deck. 'There's... there's rising water downstairs-'

'Shit...' Mikoshiba stood. 'I'll go take a look.'

* * *

'Is it anything serious?' Rin asked as Mikoshiba examined the room. Mikoshiba frowned.

'It will be if we don't stop somewhere,' he murmured, more to himself than Rin. 'I don't understand how this could have happened.'

'What?'

'The leads supporting the pumps underneath the ship have snapped-I suppose they must have snagged on something and come loose... they've never done that on their own. Anyway, we're approaching some caves-we'll have to anchor up there for repairs.'

The caves were a little blip on the ships' radar, but colossal in actuality-a cluster of caverns in the middle of the sea where the ship was anchored, ready to be repaired.

'Big bro... I mean-_captain_...' Momotarou scowled. 'What are we supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for the repairs-'

'There's some rods in the back... make yourselves useful! Why don't you go fishing around the caves and find something for us to eat tonight?'

Rin thought the fishing suggestion was an obvious ploy to get rid of Momotarou, but went along, anyway: he sat with Momotarou and Aiichiro on the edge of the caves, rods in the black water.

'Boooorrrred.' Momotarou moaned.

'We could play eye-spy-'

'BOOORREEED,' Momotarou repeated, drowning out Aiichiro's suggestion.

'O-on the bright side,' Aiichiro tried. 'A-at least we're out of siren territory now.'

'Wish we could pull in one of those with a rod,' Momotarou sighed. 'We'd be set for life! Dead sirens are worth a lot, you know: a single scale on the tail could go for thousands at an auction, and there are all kinds of pervy aristocrats who get off at the idea of having a stuffed one on their wall-'

'You'd never do it,' Aiichiro replied. 'Even if you managed to kill one, hauling in the body is too big of a risk... they're really protective over their sisters. That's why you never see a siren alone-they're always in groups.'

_Except for the one that came up to me_, Rin thought to himself, moodily. He reeled in his rod, cleaning the seaweed from the hook.

'Shit, I'm so fucking bored...' Momotarou said, after a while. 'How long do they need to change a few leads? I'm going into one of those caverns to jack off.'

'Seriously?' Rin frowned at him. 'Why?'

'Why not? I can't do it in the quarters with a bunch of other men around, and fishing cycles last a month... that's too long to go without any stimulation. I'm not gonna be very long- don't any of you walk in on me.'

Then he stood and walked away toward the caves. Rin tsked at him.

_That guy is unbelievable. _

'So I guess it's just you and me,' Rin said, to Aiichiro. 'Unless you want to-'

'N-no! Uh... no,' Aiichiro flushed. 'I'll sit here and fish.'

Rin took off his shoes and rolled up his blue and white sailor's uniform, dipping his feet in the water. It was thick, murky and cold, but somehow felt oddly pleasant... just as Aiichiro copied, a small, round rock hit Rin on the temple.

'Ow... Ai, what was that for? You just threw something at me-'

'I-I didn't!'

Another stone hit Rin-this one in the rib.

'You were watching me that time!' Aiichiro stammered, when Rin turned to him. 'M-my hands are right here!'

Another stone, then another... one every several seconds. Putting his hands over his eyes, Rin looked around. They were coming from... the water?

'Momo,' Rin growled. 'If this is you, then you can come out-'

There was a small splash some distance away and a glitter of aqua from the corner of Rin's eye. He stood.

'I'm going to get the idiot. Stay here,' he told Aiichiro, sternly. 'In case he comes back.'

'E-eh? But I thought you just said...'

Aiichiro couldn't come... Rin knew this was something he had to do by himself.

Barefoot, Rin walked around to the back of the caves, noticing another glitter. It was... moving? Rin followed the shine through the water via the rock surface, reaching into his back pocket and thumbing his hunting knife for reassurance. When he got to the back of the cave's outsides, he stopped.

'What's the matter?' Rin called out. 'You followed us all the way here, didn't you? Are you shy now?'

For a moment, it was quiet... then the top of a head came up from the ocean, the lower half submerged. The figure was some distance away but close enough for Rin to see its dark hair and two big, blue eyes, peering up at him.

_He's here... h__e's the one who snapped the pump wires underneath the boat..._

'Did you follow the boat?' Rin yelled. 'Why?'

The head went back under, water rippling behind it.

_Shit..._

It was the siren: the male siren from that night, and Rin was confident it was trying to lure him away. The way it swam close to the surface of the water so its scales could catch the sunlight and shine, the way it stayed in the water around the rocks-Rin knew he should have gone back to the boat and that he'd probably die if he followed, but he couldn't help it.

This siren made him so curious.

The siren would bob up in the water occasionally and glance back at Rin to check it was being followed before diving under and swimming again. Where the labyrinth of caves ended, there were small rocks scattered across the sea that Rin clambered over, one by one until he reached the last one.

'What now?'

A faint splash. Holding his breath, Rin dove underwater, noticing a gleam of scales in front of him and following it through a rock passageway, emerging in an underwater cave. It wasn't visible from the surface of the ocean except for a small turret of rock that stuck out, a crack in its surface so that light could shine through. Rin pulled himself onto a flat tock surrounded by deep water, gasping for breath.

'I'm here,' he said, panting. 'Are you going to tell me what you want?'

The siren pulled itself up by its hands over the surface of rock, dipped up to its waist in water. It was close-too close... bathed directly in the solitary streak of light, so that Rin could see it more clearly than on the stormy night they'd met. It was just as gorgeous as Rin remembered... easily the most perfect creature he'd ever laid eyes on. It had a strong, slender upper body, fine skin showing its defined collarbones and a flat but smoothly muscled chest-dark hair shining with drops of water. Rin stared at it and it stared back with calm, blue eyes.

_Definitely a siren. __Definitely a male. __Definitely... real._

This was the creature that haunted Rin's dreams. It hadn't occurred to Rin until now that such a perfect being could eat him alive... with that thought, Rin slipped out his hunting knife and held it behind his back. He felt afraid-so afraid, because it was so beautiful...

'What do you want from me?!' Rin demanded. 'What are you-why did you follow the boat? I know you can speak English so stop playing dumb-AWNSER ME!'

There was no response. The siren pushed itself up with its arms and Rin took a step back, slipping, falling down onto his back and holding the knife in front of himself for protection. The siren pulled itself on top of Rin, sliding closer, pressing it's scales on top of Rin's legs and aligning it's hips with Rin's.

'Sssh.'

A whisper. It's voice was quiet-so, so quiet-that Rin could almost miss it over the crashing of the ocean outside... it made Rin shiver. One of the sirens hands touched Rin's fingers, unclenching the knife, prising it out gently and dropping it into the black water, letting it sink to the bottom.

Rin tried to speak, but no sounds were coming out-fear paralysed him. Panic and nervousness darted around inside of him like fireflies, anxiousness and trepidation, fear and arousal filling him to the brim-Rin was dead: he knew he was dead. The siren was so close and there was no way he could fight this kind of lust, no way he could resist it-Rin felt as if he were drowning, melting into desire. He surrendered and admitted defeat.

'Your fault,' the siren said. 'All yours.'

'Wh-what...'

'Will die for... curse. Shhh...'

The siren took one of Rin's wrists in two of its own hands and raised it, sucking on Rin's fingertips. Rin got the horrible feeling that he was being tasted, but it felt so good... so good. He shivered at the sensation and something between his legs pricked up against the sirens scales, flushing, unable to control it... the scales were wet, slippery and that felt arousing. The siren was on top of Rin with Rin's fingers in its mouth, and so many questions were buzzing through Rin's head... yet all he could think about was how beautiful the male siren looked up above his body.

_This siren... wh__at does it want? __Will it really kill me?_


	4. Murmur of a curse

The sea echoed above against the top of a rock that protruded from the sunken cavern, light spilling down onto Rin and illuminating the siren on top of his legs. They were alone, together-hidden underneath the water.

'You mentioned a curse-'

'Shhh.'

A finger rested against Rin's lips.

'Quiet. Or find you.'

'You know I want to be found-'

'No...' the siren shook it's head. 'No.'

The siren put one of its hands on Rin's chest and spread its fingers into a starfish position, its other hand on the rocks holding itself up. Rin started to say something but it whispered 'ssshhh' again, raising the hand on Rin's chest and running it through Rin's hair. The siren seemed to be trying to calm Rin down and Rin's throat felt tight at the realisation that it was working. Inwardly, Rin felt frustrated but was too scared and overcome by desire to express it... he was completely at the sirens mercy, waiting for it to do something but what, _what_? His heart was _pounding_ in his chest, threatening to burst out of his ears, pulse fluttering in his throat at all of the tantalising sensations, at having something so inhumanly beautiful so close to his body-

'Listen,' Rin said, thickly. 'I'm new to sailing so I really need to know-'

'Shhh.'

'Stop telling me to 'sssh!' You're going to eat me, right?'

The siren looked down.

'Rin Matsuoka. I must... sacrifice you to the water.'

'Why?' Rin asked-so confused, aroused and distraught: he didn't know what he should be feeling... this was too much for his first trip as a sailor. 'What did I do?'

'Curse.'

'_What_ curse?'

'Demon.'

'I'm not a demon!' Rin yelled at it, desperately. 'You sirens are the demons! You drag sailors underwater, crash their boats and rip apart dolphins and whales... you and your sisters are the ones who don't belong! Look...' Rin was panicking. 'I don't understand. You say you're going to kill me, and then you start touching me and I... what do you want?'

Silence. Fear and panic swallowed Rin up whole. The siren had been following the boat, so Rin wasn't surprised that it had picked up Rin's name, but this proved a theory he had about this male siren being different.

All of the other sailors had talked about sirens as if they were malicious, reckless creatures, but this one didn't appear aggressive on the surface: Rin could tell by the look in its blue eyes that it watched silently, took everything in, heard and understood everything around it... it had even learned to speak. It was intelligent, and that frightened Rin.

Still... this siren kind of wanted Rin, right? For it to crawl right up to him and sit on top of his legs then stay there after feeling Rin's arousal... to touch him gently all over, to run its hands through Rin's hair and suck on his fingers.. if it wanted to kill Rin, then wouldn't he be dead by now? Rin closed his eyes and waited for the male siren to make a move, not sure if it would kiss him or bite off his head... but instead, the siren slid away, dropping back into the water with a splash.

'Follow,' it said. 'I will tell you.'

'Can't you just-'

The siren swam away to the back of the cavern. It didn't wait for Rin to follow, because it _knew_ Rin would come... there was an opportunity now for Rin to swim away out of the cave, back onto the rocks and get back to the ship, but he didn't take it... instead, he dropped down into the water and swam after the siren, down a small underwater channel. There was a hidden labyrinth of caves and Rin followed, twisting around corners and popping up wherever there was a shelf of air, eventually reaching a second cavern and sucking in a breath.

This one was deep underwater and also contained a floating surface, but everything around Rin glittered: the walls around him were covered in diamonds, little blue and white lights studding the rock like stars in the sky. Pools of water reflected the diamonds and everything shone... Rin turned back to the siren.

'What is this?' Rin asked, thickly. 'What are you?'

'Haruka.'

'Haruka...' Rin tested the word. 'Is that your name?'

A confident nod.

'That's... a nice name, but it's not what I meant... are you a siren?'

'Haru,' it said.

'_What_?'

'Haru. Have to call me-'

'What does it matter?' Rin yelled. 'Unless you want me screaming your name while you eat me... but you don't want to eat me. You want to 'sacrifice' me, but you haven't: I don't understand! Are you storing me?'

No reply. Rin dropped himself down on the rock.

'Either you want to kill me or you don't. If you don't, then I'm swimming back to my ship-'

'Stay,' Haru said. The word danced on his tongue, falling lovingly from his lips, seeming to reach out to Rin like a hand, an invitation... Rin swallowed.

_Fight it!_

'I have to get back to my ship. They'll be worried-'

'Coming to kill you.'

'Wh-what is?'

'Sirens.'

'_Sirens_?'

Ripples of cold flooded Rin with the word. Haru was half-dipped in water, his dark hair wet with drops, blue eyes staring back at Rin seriously. Rin shook his head.

_It's trying to trick me... _

'No,' he practically shouted. 'I spoke to the other sailors... sirens don't leave their territory!'

'Tonight. For you.'

'Why?'

'A curse.'

'You're repeating yourself,' Rin said, angrily. 'And that's impossible. Sirens never leave their grounds, but now you're telling me a colony of them have been following the boat and will attack tonight just to kill me? I haven't _done_ anything! Why?'

'Curse-' Haru repeated and Rin growled.

_Is he playing with me? Messing around? __  
_

Rin didn't know what to think. He watched Haru sceptically from where he was in the water, Haru's blue eyes inquiring.

'Rin.'

'What?'

'Rin.'

'Yeah, what do you-'

'Rin.'

'Stop saying my name!' Rin pulled his legs up to his chest, uncomfortable at how aroused his own name made him when Haru was the one who said it... with the way it made his body spark and his cheeks tinge with blush... he buried his nose in his knee.

'Rin,' Haru repeated and Rin ignored him.

'Rin...'

'Rin-!'

'What the_ hell_ is your problem?'

Haru laughed. It was a cute, sweet sound, even cuter with the image of Haru's eyelids scrunching... he was beautiful. Fascination gripped Rin as Haru's eyes opened and he stared: he was enthralled by Haru, in love with the little light points that swum in Haru's eyes when he smiled. Before Rin knew it Haru had swum closer, popping up in the water close to Rin so that they were a few inches apart, looking up at Rin over the side of the rock.

'Nonono.' Rin snapped at it. 'Go away. Back over there-'

_I'm helpless whenever you're near me..._

'Why?' Haru asked. 'When we both... want?'

'I have to get back to the ship,' Rin whispered. 'If we're going to be attacked by sirens then I have to warn the rest of the crew. They'll die-'

'Doesn't matter,' Haru said quietly, with a shake of his head. One of his cool, slippery hands settled on Rin's thigh... Rin took in a shaky breath. He could feel himself being pulled into desire, getting sucked in like a whirlpool-

'It does matter,' Rin pleaded. 'They're my friends. The ship is stopped for repairs and they'll all get eaten... if you say there are more sirens and they're after me, it'll all be my fault-'

'Rin.'

'Stop it. You know what you're doing to me, Haru, just stop it-'

'Rin.'

'STOP IT! Haru, please... they'll die...'

'Rin.'

The last one was whispered. A brief smile touched Haru's lips, as if Rin's name pleased him-arousal curled in the bottom of Rin's stomach, painful infatuation drowning out everything else as he climbed into the water, putting his arms around Haru's neck and kissing him hard on the lips.

Haru's mouth was warm and wet, folding softly around Rin's own, Rin kissing him once, pressing his tongue against the roof of Haru's mouth. Haru had such an allure that it disoriented Rin's sense of balance... he was so irresistible, and Rin wanted him...

He wanted Haru so badly...

Haru placed both of his hands on Rin's shoulders, Rin leaning in to bite the inside of Haru's cheek, splashing as he came closer to Haru in the water. Haru was rough-wild... his fingers went through Rin's hair, Rin kissing behind Haru's ears as Haru nipped the soft skin on his neck. Haru's tongue swirled around the inside of Rin's mouth when their lips met fiercely again, over and over, taking swipes at Rin's lips, licking around the line of his jaw. Rin's crotch pressed up against his scales as he felt so many textures all at once: the water-smooth and slippery-the sirens skin-firm and yet soft-Haru's lips-all of it driving Rin crazy... he took Haru and laid him back against the rock, climbing on top of him, his knees either side of the join in Haru's hips where skin faded into scales. Rin was about to do something when he stopped, chest heaving up and down, not knowing _what happens next _or how far to go... his impulses had completely taken over. Haru looked up from beneath Rin on the rock.

One of Haru's hands touched the muscle on Rin's arm, and the faint brush of Haru's palm sent sparks through Rin's body. The puddles of water on the rocks that Haru was laying against reflected the diamonds all around them and made it look as if he were resting in a pool of glistening stars... when Haru looked up at Rin through his fringe, he smiled softly and said the words:

'You will belong to me, soon.'


	5. Buried under the waves

**Luuka:** Haru is our cardholder: idk if any of you guys like trying to figure out the big mystery before all of the pieces come together (I dig that kind of thing in books) so if you do then you need to pay attention to not only what Haru knows, but HOW he knows it. I'm going to put so many things out there including red herrings so this fanfic may seem confusing, but I promise I know what I'm doing. And everything will be explained by the end.

This is 10-15 chapters. We're moving fast!

* * *

'You will belong to me, soon.'

Haru spoke the words confidently and something inside of Rin quivered.

'What makes you so sure of that?'

'Others will die,' Haru replied. 'Ship will get ripped apart by sirens. I can... help them... exchange for something.'

'What?'

'You,' Haru said, and Rin swallowed.

_What does that mean?_

'You want me...' Rin mumbled. 'Why?'

'Need consent before kill you.'

'Consent...' Rin snorted. 'You mean you couldn't kill me without consent?'

'No. Need to make promise before death: need your consent.'

_Huh?_

'Well, whatever,' Rin shrugged, because it was all the same to him: his life in exchange for the rest of the sailors... except, Rin wasn't really sure that Haru was telling the truth about the sirens coming to attack the boat-he could have made it up for everything Rin knew. Haru was impartial, his face giving nothing away and he was a siren, which existed to be manipulative...

'Listen,' Rin reasoned. 'The deal is this: you let me go back to the fishing ship and I stay there for the rest of the cycle, to collect fish then go back to my hometown. The ship has to stay safe during that period of time without any attacks or deaths... you have to ensure that. If we make it to my hometown unscathed, then I'll jump in the sea and you can have me.'

Haru shook his head.

'Can't keep ship safe for trip.'

'Why?'

'Sirens... can't hold all off. Only few.'

'Are all of them coming tonight?' Rin asked, and Haru nodded.

'Three hundred... to ambush ship in secret. For you.'

'I'm pretty special, huh..?' Rin mumbled, slumping down on the rock. 'But you- what's your relationship with the sirens?'

'Indifferent,' Haru replied, squaring his shoulders.

_Haru's not a part of the siren colonies?_

'And the sirens relationship to me?'

'Want you dead.'

'But so do you,' Rin pointed out. 'So, why do you care if I get eaten by sirens?'

There was a pause.

'Sirens want... rip you apart. I want... soul... forever: mine.'

'And that's where my consent comes in?'

Haru nodded. There were still some gaps, but Rin felt as if he understood a little more now, if only about Haru's goals. Haru needed Rin's 'consent,' and until he got it, Rin was safe... or rather, safer with him than the rest of the sirens; Haru wouldn't kill Rin until he made Haru a 'promise.'

'Can you tell me one more thing?' Rin asked. 'This curse is the reason the female sirens want me dead... what did I do to deserve to be cursed? I-I mean, I... this is my first time on a ship, and I didn't kill anybody, so why-'

'Did nothing,' Haru mumbled. 'Innocent... like I was.'

Haru shut down and didn't say anything else. Rin chewed on his bottom lip, pulling on a layer of skin with his teeth and thinking that he must have done _something_ to get cursed... but, again, Haru wasn't saying. How did Haru know that Rin was cursed, anyway? As far as Rin was concerned, it sounded like make-believe... but at the moment, he had to focus on the ship. Night was getting closer- Rin couldn't afford to stand around.

'Make sure everyone on the fishing ship gets off alive and you can have me... but break your end of the deal and I'll break mine-I won't do anything you say. Do you understand?'

'Mine now,' Haru whispered, pulling himself up and ghosting the words across Rin's lobe. Haru watched Rin shiver and smiled, dropping back into the water and swimming away.

'Where are you going _now_?' Rin demanded, climbing in and swimming after him, barley able to catch up with the way Haru sliced through the water... he couldn't keep up with anything Haru said or did: all of it was mind-blowing. Rin followed him back to the rocks where he lost sight of Haru, walking around the caves when Aiichiro rushed up to him.

'T-there you are!' Aiichiro grabbed his arm. 'R-Rin, you're in trouble! Mikoshiba thought you were deserting and he went _ballistic_... h-he said any longer and you'd be marooned-'

'Where would I desert to?' Rin asked, incredulously. 'This is a bunch of caves in the middle of the sea-'

'MATSUOKA!' Mikoshiba thundered, ground seeming to tremble as he came closer. 'Where the_ hell_ have you been? ...Why are your clothes wet?'

'I... that's not important! Captain, tonight, sirens will attack the ship-'

'I suppose the male siren told you that, did he?' Mikoshiba growled. 'Matsuoka, you've got a hell of a lot of explai... ah... explain...ing...'

Mikoshiba was staring at something over Rin's shoulder and Rin spun around to see that Haru had emerged from the water, bobbing up and down.

'Get my gun,' Mikoshiba whispered to Aiichiro who nodded and dashed away. Rin stood in front of the water by Haru protectively.

'No, you can't hurt him! Captain, he knows about the other sirens that will attack tonight-'

'Matsuoka, stand down,' Mikoshiba snapped, taking Rin's shoulder and pushing him firmly aside, crouching down on the rock a few centimetres from Haru. Haru stared back at him unblinking, blue eyes showing no fear.

'There really is a male siren,' Mikoshiba whispered. 'I can see the shadow of its tail under the water...'

'He's not an 'it.' Rin said, angrily. 'He's a male and his name is Haru. Haru, tell them what you told me about the sirens-'

'Rin,' Haru said. 'Can't make deal. Humans... deserve to die.'

'No, Haru, you have to-'

Haru disappeared underneath the water and Mikoshiba swore.

'Shit... where the _fuck_ is Nitori with my gun? That boy is too slow. All of the other sirens sing and scream, but this one _speaks-'_

'Captain,' Rin started to say. 'We can't leave these caves. I... according to that male, I have a curse and the female sirens are behaving abnormally to come and kill me because of it. They want to crash the boat... they've been following us-'

'We have to sail,' Mikoshiba replied. 'Matsuoka, there's a storm coming... we don't have time to hang around. The ship is fixed now... I'm more interested in that male...'

'Listen to me!' Rin screamed at him. 'At least let me stay here! That way, the sirens might be distracted but if you make me go with you, every one of you will die!'

Arguing didn't do Rin any good: he was grabbed underneath the arms and dragged back onto the ship, tied up to a mast with tape over his mouth.

'I-I'm really sorry, Rin,' Aiichiro whispered, as he tightened the ropes. Momotarou nodded beside him.

'This is a good punishment... the old captain made other mad sailors drink vinegar. Brother'll let you out soon.'

Rin slitted his eyes in response because he _knew_ he wasn't mad: the first time he'd witnessed Haru come up to him over the side of the ship, he'd questioned his own state of mind after constant rejection, but now refused to let it happen again-he _knew_ he hadn't imagined what Haru had told him... even if it was difficult to believe. Still, Rin desperately hoped Haru had lied about the siren attack, or would suddenly change his mind and help...

All he could do was wait. Waves sloshed against the side of the boat, the sky up above Rin swirling black and purple as rain fell, the drops so many, so frequently that they hurt his face, wind whirling in his eyes. Thunder roared and Rin shivered, convinced he was going to die. In a way, it benefited him being tied up as he was still whilst the ship rocked back and forth, lurching violently. The lanterns had all fallen down and shattered, sailors skidding across the wet deck, Rin unable to make out anything in the dark and wondering if a heart attack would finish him off before the female sirens got there-he was so frightened. His clothes and hair were soaked, knuckles white from the cold, crying silently because everyone around him was going to die and there was nothing he could do to prevent it-through the rain, Rin watched the rest of the crew get into the escape rowboats, hoping the sirens would focus on him as a decoy when they finally came...

Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the tidal wave that hit the ship then.

It was huge and came from nowhere-hundreds of times higher than the ship-crashing down, smashing it into splinters as Rin was sent through the air then back into the sea, the mast dragging him down. The ropes around Rin's arms were loosened and the mast sunk, Rin suspended in the blue water, the tape over his mouth ripped away so that a thin stream of bubbles escaped from a lips. He felt a palm touch his cheek and opened his eyes faintly... the image before him wavering...

Then two arms hauled him up to the surface of the water, Rin gasping for air.


	6. Lost in Blue

Waves lapped at Rin's back as he dragged himself to shore, coughing and panting as he crawled. He'd been dragged out of the tsunami... rescued by someone...

Before Rin could recall anything else, he collapsed.

* * *

Rin didn't know how long he'd been laying there but it was bright when he opened his eyes, the tide ebbing at his waist. Broken planks of wood and netting surrounded him, the remains of the ship he'd been a crew member of, now shipwrecked around him.

_What happened back there... a tsunami? There wind and the water were insane. __And that tidal wave... it smashed the ship into splinters with one hit! Are waves like that common during storms?_

The immense pressure of the water... just thinking about it made Rin shudder. The wave had been so brutal, so merciless... but what had happened after it hit?

Haru was laying on the sand a few metres from Rin where the tide had washed him out, his huge, aqua-scaled tail curled around his body. Even though Haru had said he wouldn't protect the ship from the sirens, he must have swum alongside it regardless and pulled Rin to shore during the crash... then collapsed of exhaustion. Rin crawled up to him and shook his shoulders.

'Haru... Haru!'

Haru opened his eyes.

'...Ri...'

Rin's eyes skimmed over Haru's body, heart fluttering in his chest. Injuries? None... breathing? Faint... Haru was weak-unable to get back into the water-fins twitching, but unharmed.

'Where are the others?' Rin demanded. 'What happened? Am I the only one alive?'

'Others alive,' Haru murmured. 'Other side of... beach. Cave.'

'Did you rescue them?' Rin asked. He didn't get a response.

If the others were alive, the crash had lost them their source of income, not to mention the millions of yen that their ship had been worth. They might blame Rin for the crash... still, Rin had to know. He pulled himself up from the sand.

'I'm going to find them. Haru, sit up... I'll drop you back into the sea-'

'Not going into sea.'

'You want to lie here and sunbathe?'

'No,' Haru replied. 'Go into cave with you. When you see others alive, make me promise?'

'It's too late for that!' Rin snapped. 'Haru, the deal was that you'd protect the ship and everyone on it, and _then _I'd give you myself in return, but you didn't-the ship crashed. You even called the deal off yourself, so no: I'm not promising you anything.'

'...Go with you anyway.'

'Why?'

Haru shrugged.

If he were more sensible, Rin thought, he would have left Haru on the sand to get picked at by seagulls, but he couldn't do that: even if it wasn't in Rin's nature, he knew that Haru didn't deserve that fate-especially after just saving Rin's life.

'Fine,' he said. 'I'll drag you along, but only because there's more I can learn from you.'

Rin told himself that was the reason 'why' he took the siren with him, even though Rin subconsciously knew that he didn't want them to part ways here-the idea of leaving Haru made Rin feel... strange. And Rin didn't think that Haru was a threat to him now: if he were out to kill Rin, Rin knew Haru wouldn't have rescued him from a ship crash... all the same, he didn't trust the siren. He bent down to scoop up Haru into his arms.

Years of hauling at the Iwatobi docks had given Rin a strong, muscular build, so carrying Haru was simple. Rin hooked an arm underneath Haru's tail whilst Haru's own went around Rin's neck, Rin carrying him around the edge of the beach to find the cave he'd mentioned.

_Is there a reason why I washed up on the beach but all of the others ended up in a cave? I know Haru rescued us all, so why did he separate me from the crew? Is it because Haru saved the escape boat then went back for me and collapsed?_

_...Are the others really all alive?_

Rin hadn't known them for long, but his old crew felt like a second family: Rin felt an ache in his ribcage at not seeing them again. There was quiet between him and Haru for several minutes, before Rin tried to break the ice:

'So...' Rin begun. 'How do you reproduce?'

Haru's lips quirked into a smile.

'Rin, so soon?'

'Don't get the wrong idea!' Rin growled. 'I was just... curious... as to how you do it with a tail. You're a male, aren't you?

'Obviously.'

'Well, then. You must have something that you... stick in female sirens and move around... somewhere on your body.'

'Hands,' Haru said.

'Please tell me you don't-'

'Hands,' Haru repeated. 'Slipping-tail on ground.'

'Oh... right.'

Haru wasn't heavy, but when you'd been carrying him for two hours he wasn't exactly light, either- Rin's grip had softened and Haru had slid down towards the sand. Rin rearranged him in his arms, finding it difficult to grip the scales.

'Hot.' Haru said.

'Well, I can't help that.'

'Sweaty,' Haru complained.

'Want to walk?' Rin asked, and then added: 'Oh wait, you can't.' Haru gave him an unamused look.

'Hungry.'

'Well, me too, but we're not eating yet. When it's evening I'll drop you in the sea to find us some fish, but until then you can wait. I'll tell you one thing, though.' Rin's stomach growled. 'Your tail is starting to look pretty delicious right now.'

'Not funny.'

'Does it taste like fish or human?'

'Cut it out.'

'Alright, alright!' Rin laughed. 'See? It's not so nice when another creature looks at you like food, is it? That's a lesson for you and your siren sisters.'

'Not a siren,' Haru mumbled, and Rin's gaze snapped toward him.

'What do you mean 'not a siren?' If you're not, then what are you? Wait... I'll rephrase that: do you know what you are?'

'Yes. But... can't tell you.'

'Why?'

'Because...'

Haru lapsed into silence and Rin tsked.

_I hate it when he does that._

But Rin knew better than to argue: he'd learned from past experiences that the more he pushed Haru, the more Haru closed down... better to let him reveal it in his own time when he got bored of being stubborn.

'Haru, this curse you say I have... will it turn me into a siren after I die? Because I-I've been thinking that i-if I became like you... I don't think that would be so bad...'

Haru shook his head.

'Turn you into demon. After death.'

_I'm carrying a curse that will turn me into a demon when I die..._

'Can I get rid of it?'

A headshake.

'Did you have the same curse as me?'

A headshake.

'But you said you were... like me?'

'Innocent. Once.'

The more Haru explained things, the more confused Rin got... he tried a different angle.

'Why do you want to kill me, Haru?'

'Save you.'

'Through death?' That was a little... morbid. 'Haru, when I give you my 'consent,' will I give my soul to you so I can't come back as a demon?'

'No. Have to break curse.'

'Break the curse, huh?' Rin muttered, with a tinge of hope-and doubt-in his voice. 'Haru, that sounds like it'll be difficult... wouldn't it be easier just to kill me? Why do you care if I die... or if I become a demon in the first place? What happens to me has nothing to do with you.'

'...My fault.'

Rin opened his mouth, but Haru shook his head.

'No more questions.'

Rin kept quiet for a few minutes, trying to combine what he'd just learned with everything he knew so far, but no leads were coming up. A small yawn pulled Haru's lips and he closed his eyes, rocked to sleep by Rin's arms.

'Fallen asleep? Okay for some...'

Whilst Haru slept, Rin used the time to probe his own feelings.

At the mention of Haru, Rin's thoughts seemed to tumble over each other- he had so many feelings regarding the mysterious siren. Haru had popped up out of nowhere, promised to kill him and then saved his life... there was something strong stirring inside of Rin that went a lot deeper than physical attraction.

After meeting Haru, Rin had been unable to sleep. Every night, he'd have dreams where Haru crawled up to him and Rin would wake up with their lips inches from each other's, Rin praying to himself that none of the other sailors had heard him moaning in his sleep. If they knew that Rin had passionately kissed a male siren of his own accord as Rin had in the underwater cave, he knew they'd never look at him in the same way again... and that was if they didn't feel like beating him to death-Rin couldn't tell any of them how he felt.

But _was_ Haru a siren? He had his own agenda. He swum around by himself and wasn't restrained to territories or clans, and had even told Rin that he was something else... but_ what_? And was he really trying to 'save' Rin, or acting for his own good?

Rin looked down at Haru sleeping in his arms. He looked so comfortable, powerful tail hanging over Rin's wrist, but there was still so much about Haru that Rin didn't know... that he wanted to know.

_Haru__..__. what are you really?_

* * *

Night fell and Haru woke up, Rin carrying him to the ocean.

'What do you eat?' Haru asked.

'I'm starving, so anything is good.'

'Favourite?'

'I'm not picky with fish. My favourite food is meat, but I doubt you could find that here so just get whatever you can find.'

'Meat...' Haru appeared thoughtful. 'Wait.'

Whilst Haru hunted, Rin collected some palm tree leaves and driftwood to start a fire. Seeing Haru's head in the water, Rin walked up to the shore to get him, Haru passing something large and heavy to Rin through the waves... far too big to be a fish. It took Rin a few seconds to realise that it was a dead penguin.

'I don't want that!' Rin tried to keep himself from screaming. 'Haru, get that thing away from me!'

Haru looked confused at Rin's rejection-obviously having hoped to impress Rin-and Rin knew that he hadn't meant any harm: Haru lived in the sea, so his idea of 'meat' was different to Rin's. Rin dropped Haru down onto the sand by the fire, mackerel spilling out of his arms.

'Do you want me to cook-'

Too late. Haru chewed on a mackerel raw, Rin grimacing as he heard the fish bones crunch in his teeth-Rin cooking his own before eating them. After he finished, he lay down with Haru next to him, both of them watching the stars.

'I thought you ate people,' Rin begun. 'But you like mackerel?'

'Tastes good.'

'Fair enough. And you... don't interact with the female sirens?'

It was a very laced way of saying: 'do you have a girlfriend?' Haru seemed to pick up on this, because his lips curved into a thin smile.

'Like men?'

'S-shut up,' Rin snapped, flushing. 'I suppose you're going to make fun of me?'

'No,' Haru whispered. 'Because... the same.'

Rin heard himself swallow, and everything seemed louder. The thump of his heartbeat threatened to burst out of his ears and he moved closer to Haru by several inches. He couldn't make another move on Haru... there was a species barrier! But then again, Haru had told Rin that he was going to die, so it wouldn't hurt to do this... would it? And he was sure that Haru wanted it, too...

Rin's eyes flickered down to Haru's lips.

'Rin?'

'Wh-what is it?'

'Kiss.'

So Rin kissed him.

It started out as a peck but they both quickly decided they wanted more, Rin moaning embarrassingly loudly into Haru's mouth as Haru grabbed the lapels of his sailor suit to drag Rin closer, their mouths crashing together. Rin ended up on top of Haru with Haru's arms around his neck before Haru raised them to rake through Rin's hair, Rin gripping the dark strands of Haru's and pulling, pinning him down against the sand and making suck noises as he dragged Haru's lip. Haru bit around Rin's neck and he moaned.

'H-Haru... let's stop here.'

Haru looked back at Rin with an expression of hurt.

'...don't like kissing me.'

'Why do you think that?'

'Not human like you. Have a tail.'

'It doesn't matter.' Rin shook his head. 'I think you're beautiful, Haru-all of you. Especially your tail.'

Haru smiled shyly and the tip of his tail waved back and forth, fins curling at the ends in an obvious sign of happiness. Then, the movements ceased and his eyes dropped, smile disappearing from his face.

'Wouldn't think so,' Haru said, sadly. 'If knew truth.'

'You don't know that until you tell me,' Rin tried, taking Haru's hand in his and Haru turned away towards the sea.

'No,' he replied. 'I know.'

Their faces were close enough for Rin to see each pore of Haru's skin, every individual dark hair that made up each eyebrow-he swept Haru's fringe from his face, kissing him softly again.

'It's not that I don't like kissing you, Haru, I'm just... confused... as to what happens next. You don't have the same parts as I-'

The scales underneath Haru's bellybutton begun to split, drawing apart, and Rin felt a bump push him up slightly where he was sitting. Looking down to find the source of the bump, Rin noticed a small, ovular hole and... something else that hadn't been there before.

'Kept that hidden, didn't you?' Rin muttered, now knowing that Haru was_ without a doubt_ a male. Rin's skin begun to prickle as Haru's hand raised up to touch his arm, the cool skin feeling good, Rin's face heating up with the seconds. His emotions were wrestling each other, heart beating in rapid staccato, he wanted...

He wanted...

'Rin.' Haru's voice was composed.

'What?'

'Don't overthink.'

Their next kisses were open-mouthed, wet and hot, Rin rocking himself on top of Haru. The hormonal response inside of Rin was explosive, his body easily stimulated by the texture of Haru's scales, hands slipping and sliding on Haru's skin... he unbuttoned his dungarees, sitting naked on Haru with Haru's hands on his thighs.

Rin's toes curled as he moved, his quick breaths turning into pants, the slightly musty smell of arousal all around them... but Rin liked it. Haru's nails went into Rin's back as he moved with Haru on the sand, together... until the blue of night turned into black and the first hints of dawn started to ebb at the horizon of the ocean. Eventually, Rin rolled away, breathing out in bursts.

The sky was red-black, seeming to twist into the sea to make one giant, luminous body... this night seemed unreal. It was too illusory, as if Rin were on some strange drug that could suddenly wear off without warning, or in the middle of a dream that he could wake up from any second... the aftermath of his orgasm hummed in Rin's body. The tide went in and out, and Rin lay still and thought.

The stars twinkled up above him and Rin gave a small sigh, moving to lie on his side. Haru curled his tail around Rin's legs and put his head on Rin's chest, their lungs going up and down in a slow, soft rhythm.

'Good night, Haru.'


	7. Uncharted Water

It was almost morning when Rin woke up, the dawn sky lined with crimson. On the ship, Rin had often been awakened by jolts so wasn't used to sleeping a full night... he rolled over to Haru to see that he was gone. Panic spread through Rin like wildfire frantically as he looked around.

Rin was far from the tide, no marks on the sand but Haru had disappeared. He ran towards the sea, knee deep in the water and screamed:

'HARU!'

The black ocean gave no response. Rin rushed into the jungle around the beach, making his way through the trees.

He hadn't been searching for long when he started to hear voices. Following them, Rin tiptoed closer, hiding behind a tree as he listened:

'...asking a lot, and it doesn't seem to be worth it to me.'

'Bring Rin back.'

The first voice Rin didn't recognise, but the second one belonged to Haru-Rin peered out to see that Haru was sitting with his back toward him, scales glinting in the drops of water from nearby plants. Haru must have gotten the other person to carry him here... but how? There hadn't been any footprints in the sand.

Rin looked at the other person. He was a male: tall with windswept, blue hair and red glasses, something attached to the underside of each arm that looked like brown, feathered wings, but they couldn't be... could they?

'I don't know, Haruka...' the stranger trailed off. 'This isn't what we're meant for. No... I don't want to get involved in this: I already have enough on my hands with the typhoons that your tides cause. I wasn't at all impressed with that wave of yours yesterday night.'

'Another way.'

'There isn't one I can think of. The only way for a demons curse to be undone is for the demon to undo it himself or a blood sacrifice to be made, so if the curse has carried across to him then he needs to die. Better to get him early if he's the only one before it passes down to any other generations and you're stuck with the consequences forever.'

'Sirens after him. Coming here now,' Haru said, and the man nodded.

'It's only natural they would go out of their way... I wouldn't want to be in their position, either! Ah... but there is one other thing I can think of: if you can find the demon who cast the curse and kill it, then Rin won't have to die.'

'...Can't do that.'

'Then I can't be of any help. Haruka, this is quite... abnormal... of you to take up a fascination with this; this is the kind of behavior that anyone would associate with... well... _you know_-'

The conversation was too fast paced for Rin to be able to keep up. His head swum as he walked back to the beach, ideas orbiting and flickering in his brain-leaving Haru to himself. Rin lay down on the sand with his arms pillowed behind his head, watching the sun come up.

Rin would trust Haru for now and hope he wouldn't come to regret that decision later.

* * *

'Wake up!'

...

'_Rin_!'

Sunlight shone down on Rin's face, squinting as he opened his eyes. Haru was somewhere above him, shaking Rin's shoulders. When Rin pushed away his hands and rolled over, he heard Haru give a frustrated sigh.

'Rin,' Haru said. 'Pregnant.'

'W-what?'

Rin shot up from the sand.

'Y-you can't be. I-I mean, you're a _male_... H-Haru, you didn't tell me this would happen-!'

'Not really,' Haru said. 'Had to wake you up.'

'Oh...'

Rin felt himself flush-the word 'pregnant' from Haru's lips had brought him a flood of mental images. He punched Haru in the arm.

'Haru, that wasn't funny! I was worried!'

'Gullible.'

'Let's just go,' Rin growled. He pulled on his bottom layers then fastened his blue and white sailors dungarees over the top, running his fingers through his hair to brush it-back aching in protest as he picked up Haru. There weren't any footprints in the sand, no evidence that Haru had been carried away during the night-almost as if he'd never gone at all... still, Rin knew he hadn't been dreaming. He opened his mouth to ask about it when Haru pulled on his sleeve.

'Rin.'

The torso of a woman stuck up from the ocean, another one pulling herself up beside the first-their red eyes fixed on Rin, seething.

'Found you...' Haru murmured. Rin was unable to respond.

Female sirens terrified Rin and he wasn't afraid to admit it: they were all beautiful, but Rin knew they had teeth that elongated to the size of glinting needles, faces that scrunched up like the folds of fabric... they were creatures out of a nightmare, if not Hell itself. More were popping up out of the water, some grappling their way along the sand with sharp nails, dragging themselves up the shore.

'Look at me,' Haru said, pushing Rin's cheek to look him in the face.

'H-Haru...' Rin whispered. 'I'm scared... I-I can't block it out-'

Some of the sirens were giving shrill screams which unintentionally cancelled out the singing of the others, but the sheer noise was driving Rin crazy...

'Cut through jungle,' Haru ordered and Rin gave a weak nod as Haru's hands covered his ears. He focused on Haru's face as he walked, further and further in until Rin couldn't hear the sirens anymore, dropping Haru on the earth and wrapping his arms around his legs, trembling.

'They really are after me...' Rin murmured. Goosebumps covered his skin, wanting to be sick from the fear until Haru's voice brought him back to reality:

'Let's go.'

Rin took several large breaths to steady himself before picking Haru up, making his way through the jungle.

* * *

The jungle was hot and humid, a temperature that made Rin's throat feel like sandpaper. Haru wasn't helping: he kept leaning up to kiss Rin, touching him through his uniform.

'I don't appreciate that, Haru.' Rin said, after Haru had figured out how to undo the buttons on Rin's polo, watching Rin's face for a reaction. Haru's own expression was calm but Rin was sure that inside he was smirking.

'Bored.'

'You are the most aggravating-'

Haru's fingers tugged one of Rin's nipples and Rin gasped loudly, trying to ignore the pulling in his crotch and _think logically_ instead of focusing on Haru... it was difficult.

'Haru, I'm gonna leave you in the jungle in a minute.'

'Go ahead.'

It was an empty threat and they both knew it; Rin gave Haru a hard stare which Haru matched, Rin turning away with a tsk.

'What are you hoping to gain out of this?' He demanded. 'Do you want to stop and have sex?'

'Yeah.'

'It's not happening. Put that away!' Rin growled, adding the last part when Haru's scales started to split in the middle for his reproductive organs to come out; as much as Rin wanted it, too, he knew they couldn't afford to stop. If Rin missed the rest of the crew he'd be stranded on this island... they reached an edge of the jungle, emerging by a cave near the water.

'Escape boat washed here by tide.' Haru told Rin. 'Others still inside?'

'Only one way to find out.'

Rin dropped Haru down into the sea then waded through the cave, climbing onto a surface of rock-he couldn't see anyone. Stalagmites hung like icicles from the cave ceiling, dripping with beads of water, a wooden escape boat lying overturned by the entrance.

'It looks like they already moved.' Rin sighed. 'Mikoshiba's ship sent out signals every couple of minutes to broadcast it's location, so after it got smashed by that wave and the signals stopped, Iwatobi would have picked up on it and sent a rescue ship to look for crew members and scavenge the remains... all I have to do is wait.'

'Go back to your home?'

'I have to,' Rin was unable to meet Haru's eyes. 'Haru, I miss my family... do you have a family?'

'Alone.'

'Then you can't understand,' Rin crouched down on the rock beside Haru in the water. 'My mother and my sister care about me... they'll be worried.'

'Stay. Get rid of curse.'

Rin shook his head.

'I can't stay-I don't trust you! Haru... this situation makes me feel uneasy. Last night, we went inside of each other's bodies and the longer I spend with you, the more I think I'm in love with you, so I deserve to know what's going on: if I'm cursed then tell me why.'

Haru pulled himself up on the rock with his tail in the water beside Rin.

'Rin... ask you question first?'

'You can ask me anything,' he replied. 'And I'll answer as best as I can.'

'Father... do you miss him?'

The question made Rin freeze. It had come from nowhere, seemingly pulled from thin air.

'H-Haru... how did you know about that?'

At Iwatobi, gossip was a pastime so practically everyone knew that Rin's Father had died just over eight years ago, but this was something Haru_ couldn't_ know-Haru lived in the sea, and he hadn't overheard it on the ship because Rin hadn't mentioned his Dad to any of the crew... so, how?

'I-I guess...' Rin thought about the question. 'I guess I do miss him, although I try to push it to the back of my head. He's gone, you know? He isn't coming back.'

'Love him?'

'Yeah...' Rin started to feel fond. 'He was my idol. Haru, he was the captain of a rice ship... it wasn't very successful for the first few years and nobody believed in him, then all of a sudden he had a breakthrough. We were going to be rich but his ship crashed into an iceberg on the way back from a trip and he lost everything... including his life.'

Haru watched Rin carefully.

'Want to know truth about curse?'

'I do.'

'Will regret. Better not knowing.'

'I want the truth,' Rin repeated, confident he could take it.

'Curse is...' Haru started. 'Bloodline. Matsuoka males: 100 generations enslaved to Hell as demon after death. Curse ends after last male of bloodline at a time dies.'

The last male of the bloodline at a time... right now, Rin knew that was him.

'Why?'

'Matsuoka... blood-stained name. Killed lots of women.'

'I didn't-'

'Not you.'

It took Rin a moment to process what Haru was implying, but not saying.

'N-no...' Rin _couldn't_ hear it. 'N-no, my Dad wouldn't! H-he was a rice ship captain-'

'Not rice,' Haru replied. 'Females. Kidnapped from... different countries... sex slave trader.'

'No,' tears pricked in Rin's eyes. 'You don't know what you're talking about! My father is dead, so don't you dare-'

'Truth.'

'Shut UP!' Rin grabbed Haru by the shoulder, hands shaking as he gripped Haru's skin. 'Take that back,' he snarled in Haru's face. 'He wasn't like that... Haru, you didn't know him! Tell me it's not true... tell me you're lying...'

Rin's red eyes searched Haru's blue ones for a hint of doubt, but it didn't come: it was never going to come. He stood.

'You're manipulating me,' Rin snapped. 'You get a thrill out of fucking around with my head! That's why you keep me alive for so long... just to mess me up-'

'Protecting you!' Haru yelled.

'_Why_?' Rin screamed back. 'Why go out of your way? What do you care if I get turned into a demon or stuck in Hell-what's my life to you?!'

Haru shrugged, cheeks tingeing pink and went back underneath the water to be alone. Rin kicked the surface, angrily.

'Well, I'm telling you I don't need- HARU!'

A bullet grazed the water where Haru had gone in, Rin's heart throwing itself against his ribcage, terrified he'd see red tingeing the surface. He was so scared for Haru that Rin didn't notice the arm locking around his own neck, crushing his windpipe.

'We-he-hell...' a voice said. 'Matsuoka, huh? We thought you were dead.'

The arm came away and Rin crumpled, dropping to the rock and coughing. There were two middle aged men that Rin recognised as former crew members from Mikoshiba's ship... behind them was Aiichiro, averting his eyes.

'We heard voices from the caves but didn't expect_ this_.' One of the men said, slitting his eyes at Rin. 'Matsuoka, how are you alive? Wait, I don't give a shit... where did that male siren go?'

'R-Rin can t-talk to it...' Aiichiro mumbled. 'I-I saw it with Captain Mikoshiba. I-it won't speak to anyone else, but it comes to Rin... R-Rin said i-its name was H-Haru-'

'_Aiichiro_!' Rin said the name angrily, overcome by a sense of betrayal-he'd thought Aiichiro had been his friend. One of the men moved closer to Rin.

'Hmn... is that true? Matsuoka, call the siren.'

'I can't.'

'Don't be thick,' the man snarled. 'Matsuoka, you don't know how much we need it! It's the only male siren ever reported to exist... if we could capture it alive, you have no idea how much money we could make-'

'Besides,' the other man sneered. 'You owe it to us. Matsuoka, you told Mikoshiba that it was_ your_ fault the sirens attacked our ship! When we lost that ship we lost our homes, our jobs and that was all because of you, so I won't ask again: _call the fucking male siren.'_

Rin spat in his face.

The action earned him a punch in the stomach and Rin was grabbed, hearing a smooth, metallic click as a pocket knife was held against his throat.

'Call the male siren,' the sailor breathed into his ear. 'Or I'll cut your throat.'

'Go to Hell.'

Rin's head was jerked back and the point of the knife was pressed against his chin, heart heaving in his chest.

'Then we'll try something else,' the sailor snarled. 'Siren... your name was Haru, right? Are you still here?'

The water was quiet.

'If you're still somewhere in this cave then I bet you've heard every word of this. I hear you follow Matsuoka around... is he important to you?'

Quiet.

'We want to strike a deal. We don't want to mark your pretty skin because that will decrease your value and we don't want you to hurt any of us, so we'll do it painlessly, okay? Let us capture you or we'll kill Matsuoka.'

Haru popped up from the water.

'_No,_' Rin moaned. 'Haru, no-'

'Shut up,' the sailor snapped at Rin, digging the handle of the knife into the groove of Rin's neck before turning to addressee Haru. 'Come closer... don't try anything clever. Start to sing or try to attack and it won't take a second for me to flex my wrist and make Matsuoka paint the rocks red.'

Haru's eyes remained on Rin's as Aiichiro rushed back into the cave-having disappeared unnoticed at some point-passing a net to the other crew member who slipped it around Haru, the material coiling on his tail. The same sailor then lifted Haru from the water and onto the rock beside Rin.

'Rin,' Haru said. 'It will be okay.'

Haru spoke in a strong, unwavering tone. Rin wanted to nod but he was too scared to speak or swallow in case his throat brushed the blade of the knife, the sailor holding Rin hostage smirking against his ear.

'Okay, huh?' The sailor murmured.

The knife pulled back against Rin's throat at the same moment Haru screamed Rin's name.


	8. Into the Abyss

_But what am I really?_

_...you are just a container..._

* * *

The blade of the knife dug into Rin's throat at the same moment he heard Haru scream his name. Rin had just drawn what he was sure was his last breath when he felt a small dribble of blood trail down his collar.

_I'm alive.__.._

'Sorry about that,' Rin heard the sailor say, in a self-satisfied voice. 'I had a twitch.'

The cool point of the knife had pressed against Rin's throat whilst the blade skimmed his collar, creating a small, open slit that hadn't gone any deeper than skin. Rin opened his eyes to see Haru next to him, taking in deep breaths.

...

But that wasn't the only thing, Rin noticed: there was water covering the surface of the rock. Although before the rock had been several centimetres above the water level of the cave, from the time Rin had closed his eyes and felt the knife against his collar-a period of less than two seconds-water had risen up from nowhere and soaked him up to his lap, swirling in a vortex around him... but he was in a cave: there wasn't any wind. Rin was pushed up-knife still against his throat- and was made to walk out of the cave onto the beach, the second sailor carrying Haru behind him.

Haru was looking down, face giving nothing away.

* * *

The rest of crew from Mikoshiba's former ship were gathered on the sand by an edge of the jungle; Mikoshiba rushed up to Rin.

'Matsuoka?! Is that... _no_?!'

Mikoshiba quickly forgot about Rin when he noticed Haru in the arms of the sailor behind him, his tail wrapped in a net. Mikoshiba's eyes glimmered as he examined Haru-mentally assessing Haru's worth, Rin thought-and the sailor holding Rin hostage explained the situation. Rin was tied to a tree with some salvaged rope, Haru placed on the sand beside him.

'Are you alright?' Rin asked, even though he looked a lot worse than Haru; Rin's white sailors uniform was bloodstained from the cut on his neck and fine trembles were still running through his body at the experience of almost having his throat slit.

'Rin?'

'What is it, Haru?'

'Kiss?'

'No,' Rin smiled weakly. 'Not now. Haru, the other sailors are watching us.'

'Kiss later?'

'I promise,' Rin replied, wanting to kiss Haru because-if only for a moment- it would help him wind down after everything these past few days had hurled at him, but Rin didn't want to give the other sailors an excuse to make him bleed any more.

'They will be punished,' Haru said, as if reading Rin's mind. Rin swallowed.

'Haru... what does that mean?'

Haru didn't reply. Rin knew that Haru had probably rescued the other sailors from the tsunami in the hopes of using them as bargaining chips to get Rin to make a 'promise...' but that wasn't going to work now. Something stirred inside of Haru's eyes which frightened Rin; if his blue depths were a sea, then Rin knew that a storm was coming inside of them, dark clouds fogging up his irises. Rin listened to Mikoshiba as he talked to a nearby sailor:

'...If we could sell him at an auction, it would be more than worth what we lost in that crash.'

'Captain, would you buy another ship?'

'A new ship wouldn't even scratch it-it has the financial potential to set us all for life! Catching a female siren and selling it is enough for you and generations to come to live in riches without having to lift a finger, so a male one would be... well, that thing's a money-maker: you can be sure about that.'

Something in Rin coiled at the way Haru had been called a: 'thing.' Momotarou made his way over to Rin and crouched down beside him.

'Iwatobi will have picked up on the fact that our ship stopped broadcasting a location around this island and sent someone to get us by now, so we should be here for two nights max. My brother wants to keep you hostage, so as long as we get that siren you should be safe... sorry it had to come to this.'

Rin snorted.

'Less than a week ago, we ate and slept together and now you're treating me like shit..?'

'I'm sorry Rin, but there's money involved-you know the way it works: it's every man for himself in these waters, and... right now, the rest of the crew really don't like you. Rin, ever since you joined our ship, sirens have attacked us abnormally and they think you're a bad luck omen-they think you're cursed.'

_Then they got one thing right_, Rin thought to himself. He tried a shot in the dark.

'Momo, you've been sailing all your life... what do you know about curses?'

'Honestly,' Momotarou stretched. 'I think it's a load of crap but I've heard rumours. They say that whenever a human with strong regrets or unfulfilled desires loses their life in these seas, a demon appears before them and offers to make a deal for a price.'

'What kind of price are we talking?' Rin asked.

'Usually your soul,' Momotarou paused. 'But it depends on what you want-demons are crafty and there's always conditions, so the person who makes the deal usually comes out just as bad as who they want to avenge-in some situations, worse.'

Rin took a moment to disentangle himself from the maze of misinformation in his head.

'Say...' he begun, slowly. 'Say that there were a bunch of women who were kidnapped as sex slaves... a-and their ship crashed and they died at sea... do you think a demon would have appeared before one of them and offered to make a deal to avenge the captain of the ship by putting a curse on all the males of his family... but the deal backfired somehow and the women ended up as sirens as a result of that deal, too?'

'Where the hell did that come from?' Momotarou laughed. 'I don't know, because I think it's all superstitious bullshit, but... yeah, I guess that could have happened somehow. Any woman who'd died as a sex-slave would hate males so she'd have her soul dragged back to life based on those feelings and end up crashing ships until her spirit was freed, gathering more souls for the demon... the demon would have a pretty smooth end of the bargain. But there are about three hundred sirens estimated, so that's a pretty powerful demon to make a deal like that... not one I'd want to meet!' Momotarou unfolded himself from the sand. 'But, like I said: superstitious bullshit. You've got a good imagination, Rin.'

Momotarou walked off and Rin turned to Haru, who'd been listening.

'My Dad was dead by the time one of those women made a deal, wasn't he?' Rin asked him. 'The hem of the ship hit the iceberg first, which was where he'd have been steering... so, his spirit would have already passed on, which means I'll be the first male to suffer the consequences of the curse in his name. You said that when the Matsuoka bloodline becomes extinct of males at any point, the curse will end... so does that mean that when I die, the sirens trapped spirits' will be set free and any future generations of my family won't be affected?'

When Haru kept quiet, Rin spoke again:

'You know, your version of the story left out the demons.'

'Not important.' Haru replied, with a shrug.

Rin wondered about that.

* * *

The rescue ship came late the next afternoon and all of the crew boarded. Rin took one last look at the sun before it dipped out of sight and he was forced down the steps, into the cargo hold. Haru's hands were bound and a second net was wrapped around his tail before he was placed on the concrete and all of the crew bar Mikoshiba and Aiichiro-who couldn't seem to face being in the same room as Rin-gathered around Haru in a circle.

'Shit...' Rin heard one of the sailors breathe. 'It's fucking _beautiful._'

On the floor, Haru recoiled a little, shoulders drawing tighter as his fins pricked up at the ends-all of these Rin recognised as signs of tension.

'Leave him alone,' Rin pleaded. 'He's sensitive. He doesn't like-'

The words fell on deaf ears; one of the sailors came forward and pulled on Haru's cheek.

'It was a lot prettier when we found it in the cave,' the sailor remarked. 'It's gone all bad now. The skin's dry-disgusting.'

'He's dry,' Rin yelled, angrily. 'Because he needs to be in water! He's fucking aquatic-'

'...don't touch me...' Haru said quietly-so quietly, that Rin almost missed the sound. It was like a whisper in the wind.

'It spoke!' The sailor laughed at Haru. 'Or, what?' He leaned close to Haru's face. 'What are you going to do, huh?'

There was a flash of teeth and Rin saw red spray as Haru reached into the other man's throat and bit down on it, hard. The man gave an agonised scream then went quiet, blood spilling from his neck as his body fell to the floor with wide eyes.

'No... NO-!'

_Haru killed him..._

There was red everywhere and Rin swayed, stomach lurching as he saw flakes of the blood on Haru's pale skin, Haru's eyes looking back at him with no sorrow or remorse. Rin was about to collapse when he heard one of the sailors from the circle scream and charge forward, drawing back his fist to punch Haru when Rin grabbed his wrist. Rin was shoved down onto the floor as the sailor turned his anger on him.

'You're-going to-fucking-defend it?' The sentence was punctuated by kicks. 'After what you just saw, you think that_ thing _deserves to stay alive? I say we should sell it dead-'

'STOP IT!' Momotarou grabbed the sailors arm to hold him back. 'You're going to kill Rin... stop it! We'll shut the siren in a cage... noone else is to go near it until we reach shore.'

Haru was taken deeper into the cargo hold and curled up inside a cage that was meant for a large dog with scarcely enough room for him to sit, his spine bent over slightly. In the dark of the room, Rin could only see faint outlines: Rin had insisted on coming with Haru, a sailor keeping watch over them both by the door. There were bruises on Rin's ribs and he was bloody, but otherwise unharmed.

'Sorry,' Rin said. 'I'm not very good at protecting you... all I do is get beat-up.'

'Brave, Rin,' Haru replied, fingers curling around a square in the grate of the cage with what Rin made out to be a soft smile-Rin almost fell for it, but then remembered that Haru had just killed a person before his eyes.

'Haru... about what happened back there-'

'Didn't want you to see.'

'Is that what you're really like? Haru, I love you.' Rin's voice was a whisper. 'But there are so many things about you that I don't understand. What are you?' Rin looked into Haru's eyes seeking reassurance, but could only become lost in their depths.

'Human.'

'You're not human,' Rin said. 'Your tail is just the start of that. Wherever you go, strange things happen... water levels rise when you get upset, a tsunami hits the ship I'm on to crash it before sirens could attack it... I don't know how, but I'm starting to think that you were the one who created that wave and crashed Mikoshiba's ship because you didn't want me to go, which is why you put me on the beach away from the others. And then the other night, I saw you talking to a man with wings underneath his arms... just what the hell was he?!'

'Can't tell you... made promise to other three. Must keep existence a secret.'

'What _other three_?' Rin demanded. 'Nothing you say makes sense! You hide the truth then when you finally tell me, you conveniently miss out important facts... Haru... everything I've heard since I've started sailing has pointed to the fact that you're a demon. You can do things I can't explain, you want me to make a promise before you kill me which sounds suspiciously like a deal and you know about the curse on the sirens-'

'Know everything about ocean. Job.'

'So that makes you, what... a water guardian?'

'Human,' Haru repeated, with a tone of desperation in his voice that seemed to come from the heart of the ocean itself. 'Am, Rin... just like you.'

'I don't know what you are,' Rin shook his head. 'But we're not the same.'

'Human.'

'You _aren't__-__'_

For Haru to peruse this argument wasn't like him: usually, whenever Haru had a point to make, he'd say it and if Rin didn't believe him then that was Rin's problem as Haru would lapse into silence without caring... Rin didn't know why Haru kept going so seriously with this, when it seemed like an obvious lie. Rin tried breaking it down slowly.

'Haru, look at your tail then my legs... we're different.'

'Tail doesn't matter. You said-'

'I _said_ I don't dislike you for your tail,' Rin corrected. 'Not that it means you're human like I am. Maybe you were human at one point but you're not anymore... and I'm sorry for that.'

'Tail is only difference,' Haru said, firmly. 'Human soul. Same as you.'

As much as Rin wanted to believe that he and Haru were the same, he just didn't buy it: Haru was still hiding something, but... there was a look in his eyes that made it seem as if Haru really believed the words he'd said-as usual, Rin didn't know what to think. The only sounds came from the tremors and vibrations of the ship.

'Haru... you know that the members of this ship are going to auction you... and whoever buys you will use you for whatever they want. They could have you stuffed or cut open and examined-'

'Won't die,' Haru replied.

'B-but-'

'Won't die,' Haru repeated. 'So... you either.'

'I'm not gonna die,' Rin muttered, not sure how Haru could be worried about him in his position. 'You still have to save my soul, remember? And after all of this is done, we have to swim together in the sea.'

'Swim together..?'

'Yeah.' Rin put his fingers on top of Haru's through the grate. 'I'll swim with you, Haru- I swear it.'

There was quiet for a few minutes as Rin's mind fell back to the night that he and Haru had met, searching for clues amid his memories. Haru had pulled his arms up over the ship in the middle of the storm, turmoil and chaos, looking so peaceful and innocent- in Rin's mind, Haru had switched from male siren to demon, but now Haru said he had a human soul-so, which one of those was true... or was Haru something else entirely? Rin supposed all he could do was talk, to see if Haru unintentionally gave something away-whatever the other male was hiding, Rin was sure he had his reasons: Rin just didn't know what they were.

'Haru, that night we met... why did you come up to me on the ship?'

'Heard your name,' Haru said. 'Matsuoka... knew about curse. Wanted to see you and liked.'

'You _liked_ me?' Rin laughed-he'd never expected something so cute to fall from Haru's lips. 'I thought you were going to pull me into the ocean and drown me.'

'Water won't hurt you,' Haru replied. 'Likes you, too.'

'I'm, um, glad to hear that,' Rin said, not sure if the ocean had a consciousness but not pressing the details.

'...Lonely,' Haru continued, in a depthless voice. 'For a long time, but... not supposed to be. Not supposed to feel things... can't tell others.'

'The other three?' Rin prompted, remembering how Haru had mentioned those earlier. 'You mean that man with wings and the two other... people... you mentioned-you can't tell them how you feel?'

Haru nodded.

'Supposed to be the same as them and do job, but... others don't feel the same things I do.'

'Then why are you different?' Rin asked.

'Mistake.'

_...__Haru..._

'There isn't anything wrong with wanting company,' Rin said, not understanding what Haru was talking about but hating the sadness in his eyes. 'No matter what anyone else tells you. Haru, the other ones are wrong for not being able to feel anything-it's normal to get lonely.'

Haru shook his head.

'Mistake... different. No place now... not anywhere.'

'Then I'll create a place for you,' Rin replied. 'With me-and you won't ever be lonely again as long as I'm around. Haru-' Rin crawled closer to the cage. 'Kiss?'

The sailor by the door who was supposed to be watching them had fallen asleep, but even if he was awake it wouldn't have made a difference-Rin pressed his face up to the cage to feel Haru and Haru pressed back, Rin kissing him through a square of the metal grate. It was uncomfortable and difficult, but Rin kissed Haru as deeply as he could manage, pulling on Haru's lower lip and sucking it, feeling warmth at the seams where their mouths connected.

As Haru closed his eyes and tucked his head into his tail to sleep, Rin hoped he could find a way to be comfortable. There was so much running through Rin's head as he listened to the restless waves outside, their splashes mirroring his own state of mind. There was the curse on the males of his family, Rin knowing that-at some point-he'd have to die in order to pay for his Father's sin and set the trapped spirits of the sirens free... then go to Hell in his Father's place, due to the curse of an anonymous demon. On top of that was the stirring sensation in his stomach that felt like paper butterflies, because Rin knew he was in love, but didn't know what he was in love with-only that it went by the name of 'Haru,' and was shrouded in arcana.


	9. Mercy of the sea

Five days on the pick-up ship passed and Rin started to wonder if they'd missed Iwatobi. He went to the deck to inquire about their destination.

'Change of plan,' Mikoshiba informed him. 'We're not going to Japan-we're going to England instead. I've sent some telegrams to the London auction hall and they're going to publish some promotional material for that male siren... not only that, but London is the industrial and financial capital of the world at present-all of the big buyers will be there. It's the best place to get the most money out of that siren.'

Rin went back down to the cargo hold to see Haru, who's skin was coated in ash.

'They're taking you to England,' Rin told him. 'Mikoshiba still wants to auction you, although I don't know anything about potential buyers.'

'Rin,' Haru begun. 'Promise me... won't go to auction.'

'Why?'

'Don't want you to see.'

The words made Rin feel uncertain... he touched Haru's fingers through a square of the cage.

'I'll promise,' he said. 'If you promise me that whatever you're going to do, you won't hurt anyone, okay?'

Haru's eyes became vacant and he lapsed into silence. Rin set his head in his hands.

'Haru,' he pleaded. '_Please _don't hurt anyone. You're not a malevolent creature... you're not...'

Haru didn't give a response.

* * *

Another week on the ship passed, most of which Rin spent in the cargo hold with Haru before they finally docked in London.

London was incredible-Rin had never seen so many buildings in one place. Redbrick, brown, white and chiselled... although as impressive as it was, there was just as much filth- the very air felt heavy with smoke. Haru's cage was loaded into the back of a horse drawn cart and he was taken away, Rin following by foot to the auction hall where he was being sold. Before he went inside, Rin thought he saw the figure of a man with blond hair standing on top of the adjacent building... he blinked, and the figure was gone. Uncomfortably, Rin went inside.

Mikoshiba wanted to present Haru to the curator of the auction hall in private, so Rin went for a walk around the building. He was examining some antiques when every gaslight in the room flickered out... five seconds later, they came back on and there was a person directly in front of Rin. He swore.

'_Fucking hell_...' Rin's heart needed a moment. 'Where did you come from?'

The person in front of Rin was a man, blond and short, smirking impishly.

'Scared?'

'Not really,' Rin murmured, realising the blond man spoke Japanese. 'Are you one of Haru's friends?'

'Ahh...' the blond man laughed. 'Friend' is a little subjective, you know? I guess I should introduce myself... I'm Nagisa. And_ you_ are Rin Matsuoka... but I'll call you Rin-chan, okay? I've heard all about you.'

One side of Nagisa's face was covered in faint burns and he'd been standing on the roof of a building earlier which made Rin convinced that-like Haru-Nagisa wasn't human... still, Nagisa talked more sense than Haru. Rin tried questioning him.

'Are you a demon?'

The air around Rin grew hot and started to combust in small flames which reflected in Nagisa's irises, strands of his blond hair lifting.

'_Don't _associate me with those,' he growled.

'I didn't mean to offend you,' Rin replied quickly, and Nagisa grinned, the flames extinguishing.

'Not a problem-it's fine! We all say stuff without thinking, right?'

Nagisa's mood was on hair-trigger mode so Rin made a mental note not to say anything else to offend him. Haru had said there were three others 'like him,' and from what Rin knew, Haru could control water, the blue haired man had wings and Nagisa could conjure fire from nowhere... Rin didn't even want to meet the last one of Haru's 'friends-' they were too much for him.

'Rin-chan... do you want to come for a walk?'

Rin didn't like leaving Haru and neither did he trust Nagisa, but he wanted answers. They walked along the cobblestones for a few minutes when Nagisa spoke:

'Rin-chan... do you know what Haru is?'

'I don't,' Rin replied. Nagisa's eyes raked him before turning away.

'That's a shame,' Nagisa sighed. 'Because I wanted to ask a favour, but you can't do it if you don't know. So, I have a lot of explaining to do... we're gonna go to the British museum!'

The museum was a large, grand building which Nagisa told Rin was the largest collection of cultural material in the world, free entry, filled with flickering candlelight. Nagisa dragged Rin by the hand to a four-part mosaic which Rin stopped before, pulling in a breath.

_That's not possible..._

Each individual mosaic depicted a male, made out of stained glass. The first mosaic was a brown-haired man surrounded by trees, the second was the blue haired man with wings in the sky, the third was Nagisa engulfed in flames and the last one was... sitting on a rock in the sea with blue eyes and dark hair...

_Haru..._

'I look so fat in this mosaic,' Nagisa puffed his cheeks. 'Like really, this is open for the whole world to see and they couldn't get a better angle? But there's a story. Do you want to know?'

Feebly, Rin nodded.

'It starts like this:

In the beginning, there was one God who crafted the world you call 'Earth.' On its own, life begun to spawn, little souls created from the flow of God's energy in his yearning for others to appreciate his planet.

Yet although life comes from God, God doesn't take responsibility for it, which is why humans were given free will, making them responsible for their own fate, passing into an astral vacuum after death unless their souls are stained with sin, in which case they are consumed by demons or fall into Hell. Long story short, humans aren't God's problem: his duty is solely to maintain the Earth, which is done by monitoring the four elements.'

Nagisa had just started talking but Rin already had a thousand questions in his head-if what Nagisa was saying was true, was it really okay for him to be spilling out secrets of the universe and mysteries of life like this...? Rin swallowed his questions.

'These elements you mention... do you mean Earth, Water, Fire and-'

'Air,' Nagisa nodded. 'You've got it. Basically, those are all of God's responsibilities. EXCEPT,' Nagisa sighed. 'That's kinda hard for one consciousness to manage, you know? I mean, sure, God's pretty amazing, but he can't take care of_ everything_ at once. So-'

'He split himself into four,' Rin said, seeing where this was heading but not believing it for a second. It was crack, surreal... like something out of a story book. He took a step back and his legs crumbled, dropping down onto the floor. Nagisa clicked his fingers and a small flame appeared on the end, which made Rin's head swim and his vision waver.

'The process was difficult,' Nagisa explained. 'God was a force of energy and didn't have a tangible form. This meant that after he split his spirit, each part was channelled into a human sacrifice to manifest, changing the body it entered to control each element appropriately. There was a human soul in my body,' Nagisa placed a hand over his heart. 'But it's long passed on-not even a transparent shadow remains. Which brings me to you...'

Nagisa crouched down to Rin.

'Rin-chan, even fragmented, God's spirit isn't like a human soul: in this body, I exist solely to control the fires on Earth. I feel nothing-I have no emotions. No craves, no wishes... just to do my job. I smile all the time, but I don't feel anything because the capacity has been removed, and the other three are the same. So...' Nagisa smoothed a finger down Rin's thigh. 'Why does Haru keep you around?'

'I don't know,' Rin answered, feeling weak.

Haru had told Rin he was human, and Rin recalled something Haru had said about a 'mistake' that made him different from the other three because he felt loneliness... sadness... when he wasn't supposed to feel...

'The fact that Haru stays with you isn't a problem,' Nagisa said. 'But rather, evidence of a problem: Rei-chan told me about Haru going out of his way to save your soul, when your life shouldn't matter to him... Haru exists just to monitor the water. If he's incapable of feeling as God's spirit should be, then why does he care what happens to a human?'

Rin stayed quiet.

'Makoto thinks there's more to this,' Nagisa replied. 'And I think so, too. There were always rumours that when the fragment of God entered Haru, he started bleeding from the eyes... you know what that means, don't you?'

'Demon possession,' Rin mumbled. He thought of Haru's smile-rare-reminding Rin of sunlight coming through glass... was that the smile of a demon? He didn't think so.

'Isn't it possible that Haru kept his human soul and lived with the fragment of God inside of him, too?'

'No,' Nagisa shook his head. 'The only thing that can absorb the energy from another spirit or soul is a demon-they consume them to survive and grow stronger, so the demon is the one who would absorb God's abilities if Haru were possessed before the holy spirit entered him. And two spirits or souls can't live together in one body-the weaker one gets pushed out and in the case of a God, demon and human, the weakest one is a human. This means that Haru is either a demon or a God: Rin-chan, there isn't any inbetween. If Haru's told you anything else, then he's lying.'

'You said you needed a favour from me,' Rin recalled. 'Am I right to think you want me to try and find out what Haru is?'

'Yeah,' Nagisa nodded. 'Rin-chan, if a demon entered Haru's body then absorbed the fragment of God to masquerade as God and reap the souls lost at sea, then there's every chance that Haru is after your soul. That's would explain why Haru keeps you around,' Nagisa's voice went quiet. 'Demons are weak... pathetic... they manipulate humans and feed from their feelings.'

Everything was going white, the white taking over Rin's head.

If Haru was a demon then he'd been clever: he'd lied to Rin to make Rin trust him, then had sex with Rin to consummate him. All of the batting of Haru's eyelashes, his carefully controlled voice, sticky gazes... there was a possibility that he'd played Rin. There was a possibility that Rin had never been cursed, and Haru had lied to him about everything...

Rin thought back to the night he'd had sex with Haru on the shore. The way he'd pinned Haru down on the sand and wrapped his thighs around Haru's hips... the way his whole body had burned and his heart had screamed for Haru. Rin remembered the harsh panting and how everything had become dizzy, yet somehow, there'd been so much clarity, Rin breathing Haru in, never wanting it to stop... there would be no redemption after that. After having that kind of sex with a demon, cursed or not, Rin knew he was too far gone.

Yet, Rin was hesitant... there was something in Haru's eyes. Something about the way that Haru had screamed when Rin's throat had almost been slit and the water level had increased with his panic, something about the way that after sex, Haru had cuddled up to Rin's chest and closed his eyes... Rin didn't know if that was faked. Nagisa passed a vial into his hand.

'This contains holy water,' he explained. 'Blessed by me, Makoto and Rei. If Haru is one of us, then this will be the same as ordinary water but if he's something from Hell, it will singe his skin. All you have to do is let a drop touch him-you can get close enough.'

Along with the vial, Nagisa had given Rin a slip of paper with the ship coordinates of a small island, where Rin was told Makoto would be waiting... Rin slipped them both into his pocket, feeling numb as he left.

There was a chance that Haru wasn't Haru... but Rin didn't even know who 'Haru' was. Was Haru the human soul that had been born into the body and sacrificed to God, was Haru the demon that had been channelled into Haru to get out of Hell, or was Haru the name given to the fragment of God's soul? Nagisa said Haru was a God, but he behaved like a demon and told Rin he was human...

On the way to the auction hall, Rin noticed water running down the pavements. Every window on the building had been shattered by the pressure of the water that flooded through it, slipping out through every crack in the brick and gushing into the street in torrents. The foyer was submerged to the ceiling... Rin swam down to the basement where Haru had been taken, horrified to find that there were _people_ in the water, but they were still thrashing which meant there was still some time.

Rin found Haru on top of a room-high storage crate, tail curled around his body.

'HARU!' Rin yelled, pushing his head up from the water. 'You can't create any more water! You're going to kill all the people here-'

'Good,' Haru replied.

'STOP IT... this isn't you!'

When the water didn't stop, Rin swum closer to the crate and pulled himself over the top.

'That's enough,' Rin said sternly, as he came closer to Haru. 'You need to stop. I'm here now...'

Rin opened his arms and pulled Haru into them, holding him tight. As he held Haru, he noticed that Haru's ear lobe was bleeding, a piercing gun and a tag floating in the water beneath them. One of the staff had tried to tag Haru and he'd panicked-lashed out...

'Angry, Rin.'

'I know... but you can't take it out on other people. Haru, you can't drown everyone because you're upset-'

'Not an object,' Haru said, sternly. 'Don't belong in cage!'

'I know... it's okay.'

Gradually, the water level begun to subside. It seemed to quiver and slip away... Rin didn't know where it went. Several people who'd been suspended in the water were washed onto the floor, gasping as they pulled themselves up. Rin picked Haru up in his arms and climbed down from the crate on a nearby set of moveable stairs, feet splashing in the thin layer of water that still remained as he left the hall.

'You've got a lot of explaining to do,' Rin sighed, people in chaos around them. 'Haru, you can't keep hiding things from me. I spoke with Nagisa and he told me that there's a part of God in your body. Is that true?'

'Complicated,' Haru muttered.

'Did something go wrong when they put the fragment of God in you? The 'mistake' you told me about?'

'...don't want to talk about it.'

'You're going to tell me the whole truth,' Rin advised. 'Or I'll take it to mean that you don't want me to know because you're a demon-it's up to you.'

Rin took a damp sheet from one of the antiques and wrapped it around Haru's tail so it could be mistaken for legs before carrying Haru out into the public street. Rin was thousands of miles from home and didn't know what to do... he walked to the port and sat on the edge with his feet in the water, Haru's tail curved on the stone beside him. Together, they looked up at the stars, Rin wondering if there were any celestial bodies visible through the London smog.

'Rin?' Haru asked.

'What? If you're going to ask for a kiss-'

'Love you,' Haru whispered. He set his head on Rin's shoulder and Rin pulled Haru close.


End file.
